Sheila Gish
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- April 23, 1942
- Died
- March 9, 2005 (aged 62)
- Birthplace
- Lincoln, England, United Kingdom
Biography
Sheila Gish (23 April 1942 – 9 March 2005) was a British stage and television actress. She was born Sheila Anne Gash in Lincoln, studied at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, and made her stage debut with a repertory company. Her first starring role in the West End was as Bella in Robert and Elizabeth. She continued to be best known for her stage work, but she also appeared in many television dramas, from The First Churchills (in which she played Mary of Modena) to the successful adaptation of Love in a Cold Climate (2001) in which she played the eccentric and outrageous Lady Montdore. She had two daughters: the actresses Kay Curram and Lou Gish (1967–2006) by her first husband, the actor Roland Curram. While filming That Uncertain Feeling for BBC2 in 1985, she met actor Denis Lawson, who was to become her second husband. She rarely appeared on film, her most notable performances being as Anna in the Merchant-Ivory film Quartet (1981) and as Mrs Norris in Jane Austen's Mansfield Park (1999). She is also known for her appearance in the 1986 film Highlander as Rachel Ellenstein. She took the part of the alcoholic Joanne in Stephen Sondheim's musical Company, directed by Sam Mendes at the Donmar Warehouse and in the West End, in 1995. The following year, she won the Olivier Award for Best Performance in a Supporting Role in a Musical. In 1999 she played Miss Venable in Tennessee Williams's Suddenly Last Summer, directed by Sean Mathias with Rachel Weisz at the Comedy Theatre, London. One of her last stage roles was as Arkadina in the Chichester Festival Theatre's production of The Seagull in 2003. By this time she had been diagnosed with cancer and had lost an eye as a result of surgery. She died in Camden, London. Her final performance was for BBC Radio. She is Ewan McGregor's mother's sister-in-law. Her daughter, Lou, also died of cancer less than a year after her mother.
Known For
Photos
Filmography
Love in a Cold Climate
TV · as Lady Montdore · 2 eps
Mansfield Park
Movie · as Mrs. Norris
The Bass Player
Movie
The Blonde Bombshell
TV · as Mrs Fluck · 1 ep
Jonathan Creek
TV · as Serena Shale · 1 ep
Company
Movie · as Joanne
Seasick
Movie · as Martina Schaffer
The Perfect Match
Movie · as Helen
The Thin Blue Line
TV · as Maeve the Sex Therapist · 1 ep
The Ghostbusters of East Finchley
TV · as Mrs Podget · 1 ep
Pie in the Sky
TV · as Julia Sutton · 1 ep
Resnick: Rough Treatment
Movie · as Maria Roy
Brighton Belles
TV · as Bridget · 11 eps
Jewels
TV · as Victoria Thompson · 2 eps
The House of Eliott
TV · as Yolande Hermane · 1 ep
Stanley and the Women
TV · as Nowell Hutchinson · 4 eps
Performance
TV · as Joanne · 1 ep
Inspector Morse
TV · as Gwladys Probert · 1 ep
Highlander
Movie · as Rachel Ellenstein
Worlds Beyond
TV · as Mrs Hitchcock · 1 ep
Sharing Time
TV · as Ingrid · 1 ep
Quartet
Movie · as Anna
Goodbye Darling
TV · as Janet Lyall · 8 eps
Tales of the Unexpected
TV · as Laura Parker, Mary Hitchman, Frances · 1 ep
Thomas & Sarah
TV · as Polly · 1 ep
Scottish Playbill
TV · as Maura · 1 ep
Anna Karenina
TV · 7 eps
The Lifeswappers
Movie · as Dinah/Miss Trevor
Plays for Britain
TV · as Dinah / Miss Trevor · 1 ep
The Sweeney
TV · as June · 1 ep
Let's Marry Liz
Movie · as Sarah Gage
Affairs of the Heart
TV · as Violet Grey · 1 ep
Seven Faces of Woman
TV · as Sarah Gage · 1 ep
Hitler: The Last Ten Days
Movie · as Frau Christian
Helen: A Woman of Today
TV · 5 eps
A Day in the Death of Joe Egg
Movie · as Pam
Crown Court
TV · as Erika Brabazon · 3 eps
The Adventurer
TV · as Laura · 1 ep
New Scotland Yard
TV · as Kay Stevens · 1 ep
Late Night Theatre
TV · as Wife · 1 ep
Funny
Movie · as Phyl
The Rivals of Sherlock Holmes
TV · as Mrs. Chalmers · 1 ep
Every Home Should Have One
Movie · as Mother in Commercial
The Reckoning
Movie · as Mrs Garner
Play for Today
TV · as Jane Elkinson · 2 eps
Fraud Squad
TV · as Leonie · 1 ep
The First Churchills
TV · as Queen Mary · 12 eps
ITV Playhouse
TV · as Isobel Davidson, Phyl · 1 ep
Mr. Rose
TV · as Diane Trent · 1 ep
Darling
Movie · as Cameo (uncredited)
The Troubleshooters
TV · as Sue Kihl · 1 ep
Z-Cars
TV · as Jane · 1 ep